Bottle Holder

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a device and methods for holding a container, such as a bottle, for example, a nail polish bottle, in a vertical or non-vertical position on an irregular or unstable surface.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to devices and methods for holding acontainer, such as, for example, a bottle. The invention is particularlysuitable for holding a nail polish bottle or cellular telephone on anirregular or unstable surface.

2. Description of Related Art

Open containers containing a fluid or solid material are subject tospillage if they are not properly secured. Conventional bottle holders,for example, that are used to avoid spillage are designed to secure abottle in a vertical position, such as that described in U.S. Pat. Nos.6,755,380 or D441,914. However, under some circumstances, it isadvantageous to secure a bottle in a non-vertical position. Nail polishbottles, for example, consist of a flat bottomed bottle filled with nailpolish and an elongated cap attached to a brush that is inserted intothe nail polish. When a portion of the nail polish is used, the bottlemust be positioned non-vertically in order to capture nail polish on thebrush. For example, the bottle must be tilted at an increasinglydiagonal angle as the quantity of nail polish in the bottle decreases,until the bottle is tilted to an almost horizontal position when thereis very little nail polish remaining in the bottle. Some nail polishbottle holders hold the bottle in a pivoted position relative to ascaffold base, such as that described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,685,147 orD496,757. However, these holders are not stable when placed on irregularor unstable surfaces.

The unstable nature of a nail polish bottle requires that it be placedon a flat, non-moving, horizontal surface so that the bottle does notover-turn. Even if placed on a flat surface, such as a table, nailpolish bottles are easily over-turned during use, resulting spillagethat is damaging to surfaces and difficult or impossible to remove.There are also numerous circumstances in which a user polishes theirnails on an uneven or moving surface, such as a bed, sofa, carpet or ina moving vehicle, in which case, the nail polish bottle must be placedon a surface that is unstable, either because it is uneven, soft or issubject to jolting motion.

There are other objects other than small handheld bottles that can use aholder that can be stable on uneven surfaces such as a cellulartelephone. The present invention, because of its flexible pocket andwall, can easily support a cellular telephone in a variety of positionsfor easy access or even talking by the user in areas such as on a cellphone or irregular surface. This would allow the cellular telephone tobe readily accessible and available to a user sitting in a chair orother article of furniture. The cellular telephone can be positioned inthe holder well at any desired angle that permits cellular communicationand access audible with the speaker and microphone.

There is, therefore, a need for a holder that is stable on an uneven orunstable surface and that can hold a container, such as a bottle, in anydesired position, such as a vertical or non-vertical position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the invention provides a holder that is made of a casingthat is at least partially filled with a stabilizing material. Theholder is shaped and weighted so that it is stationary when placed on anuneven, irregular or unstable surface. The holder contains a flexiblewell that is shaped to accommodate a container in any position, forexample, vertical, diagonal, or horizontal. In an embodiment, thecontainer placed in the holder is a bottle. In a preferred embodiment,the bottle is a nail polish bottle. Other small handheld items such ascontainers or cell phones can be supported at various angles andpositions within the holder.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method for holding andstabilizing a bottle or other small object in a non-vertical position byplacing a bottle in the flexible well of the holder of the invention andpositioning the bottle in a non-vertical position. The holder may beplaced on an uneven, irregular or unstable surface with a minimal riskthat the bottle or container will over-turn and spill its contents.

In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparenthereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with particularreference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an embodiment of the holder inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1B is a side elevational cross section view of the embodiment ofthe holder illustrated in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2 a is a top view of an embodiment of a casing in accordance withthe invention.

FIG. 3A is a side view of an embodiment of the holder inside-out inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 3B is another side view of an embodiment of the holder inside-outin accordance with the invention.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of an embodiment of the holder containinga bottle in a vertical position in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 4B is a cross section of the embodiment of the holder illustratedin FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of an embodiment of the holder containinga bottle in a diagonal position in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 5B is a cross section of the embodiment of the holder illustratedin FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of an embodiment of the holder containinga bottle in a horizontal position in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 6B is a cross section of the embodiment of the holder illustratedin FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7 is a cross section of the holder containing a cellular telephone.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An embodiment of the holder of the invention is illustrated, forexample, in FIG. 1A and designated generally at 1. The base of theholder 1 is pictured as having a substantially square shape but may haveany other suitable or desired shape, such as, for example, a circular,oval, rectangular, or star shape. Referring to FIG. 1B, the holder 1 hasa well 2 into which a container may be placed. The inside of the holder1 contains a weighted stabilizing material 3 that is surrounded by acasing 4. The well 2 is flexible in that it is shaped to hold acontainer when placed therein or can mold to the shape of a containerthat is placed therein. For example, at least part of the casing 4(e.g., the portion of the casing 4 within the well 2) may be made of astretchable material, for example, a polyester and nylon blend orspandex.

FIGS. 2 a and 2 b illustrate exemplary designs for a casing that can besewn to make the holder 1 of the invention.

Referring now to FIG. 2 a and FIG. 2 b, two different planconfigurations or shapes are shown of the flexible casing used in thepresent invention. The embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B is shown inFIG. 2 a. The shape shown in FIG. 2 a has a curved center sectionspreading outwardly that end in rectangular end sections. When thecasing sides are sewn together, the weighted material added and thecasing well is sewn together. With respect to the configuration shown inFIG. 2 b, when the casing is sewn together with the partially filledweighted material inside, it can be seen that the inner portions of thecasing are not curved but are straight lines that taper and result infour rectangles which are sewed together to form the well. The result isthat the holder base configuration shown in FIG. 2 b will have arectangular or square base after it has been filled with the weightedmaterial. Regardless of the configuration (whether it is shown in FIG. 2a or FIG. 2 b), the operation of the device and the ability to positiona small object within the well of the holder and any angular positionwill still be maintained.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate an embodiment of the holder 1 of theinvention in which the material that comprises the well 2 of the casing4 is withdrawn from the center of the holder 1.

FIG. 4A illustrates an embodiment of the invention in which a nailpolish bottle 6 is placed in the holder 1 in a vertical position.Although a nail polish bottle 6 is pictured, it is anticipated that anybottle or other container that requires stabilization may be placed inthe holder 1. FIG. 4B illustrates that the nail polish bottle 6 is ableto fit securely into the flexible well 2 such that the weightedstabilizing material 3 at least partially surrounds the bottle 6.

FIG. 5A illustrates an embodiment of the invention in which a nailpolish bottle 6 is placed in the holder 1 in a diagonal position. FIG.5B illustrates that the nail polish bottle 6 is able to fit securelyinto the well 2 when placed at an angle and that the well 2 is flexiblein that it can shift position relative to the remainder of the holder 1.

FIG. 6A illustrates an embodiment of the invention in which a nailpolish bottle 6 is placed in the holder 1 in a horizontal position. FIG.6B illustrates that the nail polish bottle 6 is able to fit securelyinto the well 2 when placed in a horizontal position and that the well 2is flexible in that it can shift position relative to the holder 1.

Referring to FIG. 7, an alternate embodiment of the present invention isshown which includes a holder 10 that has a flexible casing 10 a and awell 10 b that is sized and shaped to receive a cell phone 12 that mayinclude a cell phone speaker or display 14. The holder well 10 b canconform to the lower configuration of the cell phone so that the cellphone is safely and stably positioned regardless of the attitude orposition of the holder 10 on an uneven surface. Thus, the holder 10could be used on furniture such as a chair or sofa that may not have aneven or level surface for securely supporting the cell phone in aposition that either allows the cell phone to be readily accessible to auser in the area or for even using speaker phone calls on the cell phoneitself while it is securely positioned near the user. The user can seethe face of the phone without picking the phone up and putting it down.

FIG. 7 shows a pair of cloth tabs 16 and 18 that have hook and pilefasteners 20 attached at one end to the casing base. The purpose of thecloth tabs 16 and 18 is to hold in place battery charger wires thatconnect to the cell phone in order to charge the cell phone duringcharging. The charger that plugs into a wall receptacle and the wiresare not shown in FIG. 7. The charger wires are placed through andbetween tabs 16 and 18 and are held together by fasteners 20.

The holder in accordance with the present invention can also be used tosecure other small handheld objects that may be employed in a particularenvironment having uneven surfaces, irregular or unstable surfaces andsurfaces that are not level based on gravity. This allows the user theability to position any small handheld object into a stable holder thatallows positioning of the object being held in the well by either ahorizontal angle, small angle between the horizon and vertical and atvarious individual angles because of the three-dimensional nature of theflexible well that can be positioned around an object in three differentdimensions.

The stabilizing material 3 can be any solid or fluid material that atleast partially fills the casing 4. The stabilizing material 3 should beof sufficient weighted so as to create enough friction between theholder 1 and the surface on which it is placed for the holder 1 toremain stationary and stable. In an embodiment, the stabilizing material3 consists of beads or other particulate matter. In an embodiment, thestabilizing material 3 is made of plastic (such as, for example,polystyrene), metal (such as, for example, stainless steel), wood, gel,paper, Stryofoam, or a combination thereof.

The casing 4 is made of any natural or synthetic material, such as, forexample, cloth, plastic, vinyl, leather, or a combination thereof. In anembodiment, the casing 4 is made of cotton, wool, silk, polyester,nylon, or a combination thereof. In an embodiment, the casing 4 isdecorative. For example, the casing 4 may have a decorative color,print, or texture, or a combination thereof.

The holder 1 of the invention may be used on any surface or in anysituation but is of particular use on irregular surfaces, such as anon-horizontal surface, or an unstable surface, such as a bed, couch,carpet, or a surface in a moving vehicle, for example. In an embodiment,a container 6, such as a bottle, may be placed in the holder 1 in avertical or non-vertical position, such as a diagonal or horizontalposition and remain stable there such that its contents do not spillout.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method for holding andstabilizing a container 6 in a non-vertical position by positioning acontainer 6 in the holder 1 of the invention in a non-vertical position.The holder 1 is placed on an irregular or unstable surface andstabilizes the container 6.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The foregoingembodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects illustrativerather than limiting of the invention described herein. The scope of theinvention is thus indicated by the appended claims rather than by theforegoing description and all changes that come within the meaning andrange of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embracedherein.

The instant invention has been shown and described herein in what isconsidered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. It isrecognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within thescope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to aperson skilled in the art.

1. A holder comprising a flexible casing at least partially filled witha stabilizing material, wherein the holder is weighted such that theholder is stationary when placed on an uneven, irregular or unstablesurface, said flexible casing having a configurable well that isflexible and shaped and sized such that the casing well can be molded tothe exterior shape of an object placed therein and to receive and toaccommodate a small handheld container allowing the positioning of thecontainer in any stationary position from horizontal to vertical whereinthe container remains stationary when placed in the casing well in anyposition if the holder is placed on an irregular or unstable surface. 2.The holder according to claim 1, wherein the container is a nail polishbottle.
 3. The holder according to claim 1, wherein the stabilizingmaterial comprises particulate matter.
 4. The holder according to claim3, wherein the stabilizing material comprises beads.
 5. The holderaccording to claim 3, wherein the particulate matter comprises at leastone material selected from the group consisting of gel, paper, plastic,Styrofoam, metal, and wood.
 6. The holder according to claim 3, whereinthe particulate matter comprises polystyrene.
 7. The holder according toclaim 3, wherein the particulate matter comprises stainless steel. 8.The holder according to claim 1, wherein the casing comprises at leastone material selected from the group consisting of cotton, wool, silk,polyester, nylon, vinyl, and leather.
 9. The holder according to claim1, wherein the casing well is sized and shaped to receive andaccommodate a cellular telephone for positioning the cellular telephonein any stationary position in said casing well.
 10. The holder accordingto claim 1, farther in combination with a nail polish bottle positionedin a vertical or non-vertical position.
 11. A method of securelystabilizing a small handheld object in a non-vertical position in aholder comprising the steps of: a. providing a holder having a flexiblecasing at least partially filled with a stabilizing material; b.providing a flexible casing well in said casing holder, said casing wellbeing flexible and sized and shaped such that the casing well can bemolded to the exterior shape of an object placed therein and to receivea small handheld object; c1. positioning said object within saidflexible casing well in a desired angular position that is non-vertical;and c2. securing said object in a stationary position.
 12. A method asin claim 11 including the steps of: d1. placing an object comprising acontainer of a small bottle of nail polish in said casing well; and d2.positioning said container to a desired angular position in said casingflexible well to allow access to contents in a non-vertical positionwithin said container without spilling the contents of the container.